Join us for Hospitality in Fellowship Hall after each of our services!

Reminder: The church office will be closed on Monday, January 21

in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN:

“Kubernesis” – A Gift of the Spirit

Did you know that administration is a spiritual gift? When we talk about spiritual gifts, it’s usually things that feel a little more...spiritual. When I was working in theological education before coming to First Pres, I was a teacher and consultant on congregational leadership, and I worked with many pastors and church boards in doing so. Many of them complained about the work of administration: organizing the people, resources, and structures of the church to fulfill the church’s mission as faithfully and effectively as possible. They saw administration as a sort of “necessary evil,” something unpleasant that had to be done in order to do the “real” work of ministry.

That understanding of administration is, quite simply, un-Biblical. Administration is actually listed as one of the gifts of the Spirit in Paul’s famous passage on the subject in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians, a portion of which we will read in worship this coming Sunday. Later in that passage, Paul lists “kubernesis” as one of the gifts of the Spirit, which is often translated as “governance,” “leadership,” or “administration,” but literally means the work of piloting a ship.

Think about that for a moment. A ship’s pilot has to read the depths, winds, and currents the ship faces in order to keep the ship on course to its destination as quickly and safely as possible. That is not just a spiritual gift, it is an absolutely necessary one for the ship to fulfill its purpose!

The same is true in the church, which is why the Spirit gives it to people in the church: to ensure the church has the gifts it needs to fulfill its purpose. We are blessed here at First Pres to have a whole group of leaders with the gift of “kubernesis,” administration, for the well-being of the church.

Earlier this week, we welcomed a new one to our church when Andréa Wells (her first name is pronounced “ahn-DREY-ah”) began her work on staff as our new part-time Business Manager. Andréa brings a wealth of experience along with her spiritual gifts. She is coming to us from a corporate background that included audit work. She is also a dedicated Presbyterian with a heart for mission, including revitalizing and leading a food bank in her home church of the United Presbyterian Church of Alpha in Phillipsburg, NJ. So be sure to welcome Andréa the next time you’re in the church offices during the week.

And we are blessed that she is joined by a remarkable team of leaders with gifts of administration who help organize our budget, finances, endowments, property, and more, so that this church has the resources it needs to fulfill the calling which God has given us. And I want to say a special thank you to Elders Melinda Stitt and Phil Clauser who serve as our Treasurers, and who have essentially been functioning as volunteer Business Managers while that staff position was open.

I am thrilled that we have a completed staffing plan with Andréa’s arrival, and even more so that this is a church where the staff equips and supports the members for ministry. One of the clearest refrains from the congregation when I arrived was that they wanted to continue being a “member-driven church,” which is what the church is always supposed to be. Your pastors and staff are delighted to be partners in that ministry, and are eager to embrace what God has in store for us!

﻿Grace and Peace,

JC

IMPORTANT WEATHER INFORMATION

If we have weather conditions that would prompt any change in our services or programs, the announcements will be shared in these ways:

·
We will put a message on the church’s answering machine: 610-867-5865

·
The information will be shared with WFMZ-TV69; they will put on their
website

(wfmz.com) and TV scroll

2019 OFFERING ENVELOPES

Our new boxed envelopes are available to pick up beginning this Sunday (January 20) in Fellowship Hall.

MEET OUR NEW BUSINESS MANAGER

Andréa Wells (pronounced ahn-DREY-ah) has joined the First Pres staff as our part-time Business Manager; in that role she is responsible for the financial aspects of our congregation. She brings almost 14 years of experience in the corporate world, dealing with accounting, auditing, and process improvement.

In addition to her corporate experience, Andréa is a small business owner, and runs the food pantry at her church in Alpha. She and her husband Bryan are the parents of a college-age student, a middle schooler, and an elementary-age child. The family lives in Forks Township.

Welcome to the First Pres community, Andréa!

DONATIONS FOR OUR FLORAL MINISTRY

Will you consider providing flowers for our Sanctuary worship services? A donation of $75 will pay for the arrangement under the cross in the Sanctuary, and $90 covers two pedestal arrangements.

The Passing of the Peace at the beginning of worship is an expression of Christian love, unity, and reconciliation with one another. For some, however, expressing those values through hugs and handshakes is not comfortable, and for others, close physical contact may pose a medical risk.

So, if someone gives a “Heart Tap” by patting their own heart during the Passing of the Peace, please respond in like manner to acknowledge the heartfelt grace of that person's greeting and need to maintain physical space.

ADULT EDUCATION:Hearts N Minds

This Sunday, January 20, we will begin a study of Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving. Everyone is welcome to join us at 9 am in the Parlor.

"Debby Irving's powerful Waking Up White opens a rare window on how white Americans are socialized. Irving's focus on the mechanics of racism operating in just one life -- her own -- may lead white readers to reconsider the roots of their own perspectives -- and their role in dismantling old myths. Readers of color will no doubt find the view through Irving's window fascinating, and telling."

We talk about restorative justice and restorative practices, but what do those terms really mean? How are these considerations even relevant for "regular" people? How might these practices help us resolve conflict at home, school, work, place of worship, etc.? How can individuals or groups make a difference for others involved in the criminal justice system?

Restorative Practices: Changing our Response to Wrongdoing, a presentation by Bob Costello, is appropriate for middle schoolers, young adults, and adults of all ages. It is free and open to the public and will be held from 9 am-noon in the Kirk Center;
sign up here. This workshop is sponsored by the Discipleship Committee.

Our presenter is the Assistant Commissioner for Organizational Development at the NYC Department of Probation. He has worked for more than 20 years in the fields of mental health, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient services and alternative education. Bob is the co-author of The Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians and Administrators and Restorative Circles in Schools: Building Community and Enhancing Learning.

LOOKING FOR BLANKET DONATIONS

Our partner, Outreach Depot, is looking for new or gently-used blankets for their clients (please, no electric blankets). We will have containers in the North Link and Kirk Center Rotunda from January 20 to February 10. They were exceedingly grateful for our toiletry drive last year. Thank you for considering a donation!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

If you are trained to take blood pressure readings and would be interested in doing that on occasional Sundays, please contact Pam Swank.

JOIN US! HANDBELL CHOIR

Our new Handbell Choir is currently on hiatus, and will start weekly rehearsals on Tuesday, February 5 at 5:30 pm.

No experience is necessary to join this energetic group, which will be preparing to share their talents at Easter cele-brations! Contact
David Macbeth for more information.

DEPRESSION GROUP: NEW DAY, TIME

The Depression Support Group is for anyone whose life is affected by depression – whether yourself or someone you care about. New sessions will begin this Tuesday, January 22, and the meeting time will be from 12:30-2:30 pm in Room 206 (PW Room). For more information contact Melody Engel.

GET TO KNOW: FIRST PRES PRESCHOOL –by Andie Barbehenn, Director

First Presbyterian Church Preschool opened in the fall of 1964 with one class. Today we have 10 classes with a total of 144 spaces available for 2, 3, and 4 year olds. We also offer full time Extended Care, opening at 7:00 am and closing at 6:00 pm – or until the last child leaves. We have a staff of 14 certified teachers, and a Director, with very little staff turnover, giving consistency and stability to our program.

Our teachers participate in annual In-Service trainings to enable us to stay current and continue to grow as teachers. Each year some of us attend the annual NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Conference held in various cities. This helps us network with Early Childhood leaders from around the country and world, learning from one another.

Our teachers participate in annual In-Service trainings to enable us to stay current and continue to grow as teachers. Each year some of us attend the annual NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Conference held in various cities. This helps us network with Early Childhood leaders from around the country and world, learning from one another.

Parent Workshop &

Open House

﻿Tuesday, Feb. 5 – 7 pm

Learn more about our programs for 2019-2020!

About 125 children are enrolled in our classes this year, as some children take two spaces to be here more days. We have a Creative Movement teacher, so each class gets two days/month of more structured large motor activities. We go to our spacious, fenced in playground every day the weather allows. When we have to stay in, we go to the Kirk Center to ride bikes, bounce balls, play on scooters, and enjoy getting to better know each other.

All of our classes focus on large and small motor skills appropriate to their ages. We cover all the pre-reading and pre-writing skills in our play based curriculum. Social skills are another big focus for us. We want our children to leave here knowing how to share, care for each other, use our words to ask to help or to take a turn, resolve conflict, and be ready to face the bigger world of Kindergarten.

Underlying our curriculum is our Christian faith. I go into the classrooms twice a month with a Bible story or lesson, a song, and end in prayer. One of our goals is to have the children know that God loves them and that they can talk to him at any time.

We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from the larger church for over 50 years. We’ll soon be registering for our 2019–2020 school year!
For more info:

For the 9:00 service, the class is in room A4 in the childcare suite on the first floor of the Kirk Center (near the Kirk Center lobby). Parents are asked to bring their children to A4 before the service.

During the 10:30 service, the children will attend the first part of worship with their families and leave with their teachers after the Children’s Chat. Please remember to sign up your children in the Narthex before going into the service.

The same curriculum will be used in both classes, and, as in the past, child care will be available during both services for younger children. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Conard.